Riding in the back of a pick-em-up truck

[PartofthePhlock]

Yeeeeeha!!!! Yes and Yes!

[Tiki Bar]

I have.
I guess I would again if I knew whoever was driving was trustworty.
If it's an adult, and the adult made a choice to ride in the back, then I have no problem with that, and wouldn't call the police.

If, however, children OR ANIMALS are in the back unrestrained, and unsupervised, then yes, I'd be the busy-body a-hole that would call the police.

Even if the driver is trustworthy.....you and I both know that a good percentage of the rest of the drivers out there.....aren't.

The accident I handled was in a subdivision.....30 mph road.....someone ran a stop sign, knocked the kid out of the truck....he hit his head on the curb.....done.

The memories of that will never leave me......seeing that Mom on the side of the road with her kid.....nope....no kids in the back of truck around me.....ever.

Adults.....just like everything else, choose your poison....but not kids.
We are their stewards.

I do feel bad that I brought up bad memories for some of you, and I'll probably re-think in the future because of them. All very valid reasons against the practice.

I'm not being argumentative Paige, but I'm curious, knowing you ride... what about kids riding on motorcycles? I don't know what laws are in place, but I'd think on a motorcycle might be considered more dangerous for a child than the back of a pickup truck, and I used to enjoy my fair share of them as well (as the kid on the back - I've never driven any bigger than a dirt bike, and that was way back when too). But I also still see kids riding on the backs of motorcycles up here.

[Hockey Mon]

I once road in the back of pickup truck from Albany (NY) airport back to college (about a 15 minute ride) with no shirt on. It was the middle of January. I was bet $1. I won.

I will probably never ride in the back of a pickup again, nor will I let my kids do it. But my above experience is unrelated to my decision. I just want to tell my story.

[Brown Eyed Girl]

Have you ever seen anyone ejected from a vehicle? It's a sight you'll never forget. And I saw the brilliant mind of a phenomenal athlete reduced to maybe the level of a 3 year old, after jumping in the back of a pickup after a race in order to get back to the starting line. They weren't going fast or far, but the force of the impact from the other car threw my client out onto his head.

The world is a different place than when we were kids. Mainly there are a hell of a lot more people and lots more distractions and violations. I'm convinced that 90% of the folks driving cars are idjits, so I wouldn't want to tempt fate.

I'm also opposed to putting your dog in the back of a truck without them being in a kennel. Too many unhappy endings there.

I'd like to see people actually taking initiative to get to know their neighbors and establishing "neighborhoods" again, where kids could have a little more freedom but know that adults will always be around. Then maybe we could let kids do some of the stuff we took for granted.

[nutmeg]

I hate, hate, hate to see a dog in the back of a pick-up. If I have to follow one with a dog in it, I'm sick with worry that he will see something he wants to chase and jump out. I have seen one jump once and luckily they were going slow enough at the time that he wasn't seriously injured.

Kids? It doesn't even bear thinking about

[Hockey Mon]

I hate, hate, hate to see a dog in the back of a pick-up. If I have to follow one with a dog in it, I'm sick with worry that he will see something he wants to chase and jump out. I have seen one jump once and luckily they were going slow enough at the time that he wasn't seriously injured.

Don't go to Montana. My SIL lives in Bozeman and it seems like everyone's dog rides in the back of a pickup. And, when I say everyone, I mean everyone. You are pretty much issued a dog when you move out there.

[ph4ever]

I have.
I guess I would again if I knew whoever was driving was trustworty.
If it's an adult, and the adult made a choice to ride in the back, then I have no problem with that, and wouldn't call the police.

If, however, children OR ANIMALS are in the back unrestrained, and unsupervised, then yes, I'd be the busy-body a-hole that would call the police.

Even if the driver is trustworthy.....you and I both know that a good percentage of the rest of the drivers out there.....aren't.

The accident I handled was in a subdivision.....30 mph road.....someone ran a stop sign, knocked the kid out of the truck....he hit his head on the curb.....done.

The memories of that will never leave me......seeing that Mom on the side of the road with her kid.....nope....no kids in the back of truck around me.....ever.

Adults.....just like everything else, choose your poison....but not kids.
We are their stewards.

I do feel bad that I brought up bad memories for some of you, and I'll probably re-think in the future because of them. All very valid reasons against the practice.

I'm not being argumentative Paige, but I'm curious, knowing you ride... what about kids riding on motorcycles? I don't know what laws are in place, but I'd think on a motorcycle might be considered more dangerous for a child than the back of a pickup truck, and I used to enjoy my fair share of them as well (as the kid on the back - I've never driven any bigger than a dirt bike, and that was way back when too). But I also still see kids riding on the backs of motorcycles up here.

Are the kids in the back of a pickup wearing helmets and/or leathers?

[Marnin Grita Guy]

I And most recently, being tossed around in the back of Breeze and Kimmy's truck a couple years ago on the way to the drum circle in Treasure Island.

Hey, I remember that ride!
(I think we were given instructions to try to be "inconspicuous" or something like that)

It was interesting to se y'all bouncing around, gotta hate those curbs.

[pbans]

I have.
I guess I would again if I knew whoever was driving was trustworty.
If it's an adult, and the adult made a choice to ride in the back, then I have no problem with that, and wouldn't call the police.

If, however, children OR ANIMALS are in the back unrestrained, and unsupervised, then yes, I'd be the busy-body a-hole that would call the police.

Even if the driver is trustworthy.....you and I both know that a good percentage of the rest of the drivers out there.....aren't.

The accident I handled was in a subdivision.....30 mph road.....someone ran a stop sign, knocked the kid out of the truck....he hit his head on the curb.....done.

The memories of that will never leave me......seeing that Mom on the side of the road with her kid.....nope....no kids in the back of truck around me.....ever.

Adults.....just like everything else, choose your poison....but not kids.
We are their stewards.

I do feel bad that I brought up bad memories for some of you, and I'll probably re-think in the future because of them. All very valid reasons against the practice.

I'm not being argumentative Paige, but I'm curious, knowing you ride... what about kids riding on motorcycles? I don't know what laws are in place, but I'd think on a motorcycle might be considered more dangerous for a child than the back of a pickup truck, and I used to enjoy my fair share of them as well (as the kid on the back - I've never driven any bigger than a dirt bike, and that was way back when too). But I also still see kids riding on the backs of motorcycles up here.

I would never put a kid under about 14 on the back of my motorcycle either.......esp if their feet can't reach the pegs to steady themselves......and always, always with full gear.

I CRINGE when I see people pull in to the shop with small children on the back of their bikes.

[chippewa]

As a kid I did, and probably as an adult, too. Maybe I'm getting old, but I sure wouldn't anymore. We just had a local accident like this recently with tragic results. I don't even like seeing dogs riding in the back anymore.

[sonofabeach]

My upbringing pre-dated the idea that daily life was supposed to be safe at all times no matter what. We climbed trees; we rode double on our bikes; we played mumblety-peg with our Boy Scout knives (and snuck the occasional cigarette on campouts); and we occasionally took rides in the back of a pickup truck. As a result, sometime kids scraped their knees; burned their fingers; broke the occasional bone; caught the occasional baseball up alongside the noggin; and yes — every once in while we buried one. But it was part of growing up....we were learning that the real world wasn't padded and had sharp edges.

true indeed

[Tiki Bar]

Pretty interesting stuff. I've been googling, and from what I can tell, it's not against the law in Illinois, where I live. But it also seems to be something people are working toward.

Everyone from state lawmakers to national highway safety experts is questioning the rationale of having a seat belt law while people roam freely in truck beds. They say laws need to be changed before more people are killed.

“Considering every state but one has a law that requires people to be belted in vehicles, it makes no sense to me they can ride unrestrained in the back of a pickup truck that has no protection at all,” said Susan Ferguson, of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “There’s no restraints in the rear, and it’s extremely dangerous.”

Thirty states have some type of restriction on riding in cargo areas, but many of those fall short of a comprehensive ban, according to the institute.

The states without any type of restriction are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Many states, including Hawaii, prohibit young children from riding in the back. Several states allow truck bed riding for work, like farmers, or during parades. Colorado allows it only if the cargo area is enclosed on all sides.

Here's a list by state:

http://www.iihs.org/laws/cargoAreas.aspx

[SMLCHNG]

When I was a kid, we used to ride in the back of Grandpa's truck. But that was just into town. Slow roads. And it was fun.

I don't think any being, be it animal or human, should be in the back of a pick up on the fast roads/highway these days. Things were just different years ago.

I'd still go in the back of one if the moment presented itself, but not on the highway.

Now dogs in the back of one?? That's a whole 'nother story.... My mom worked for a Vet for many years, and the stories she told ....

[Tiki Bar]

However, the bold in the first paragraph addresses the issue of kids in the cargo area.

And the bold in the second paragraph addresses no laws against kids on motorcycles.

In 2004, Illinois furthered its own commitment to safety on public roadways; on January 1 the amendment to the Illinois Child Passenger Protection Act took effect.3 As it stands, all children from the age of eight to sixteen must be secured in a safety belt no matter their riding position in the vehicle. To the dismay of many six and seven year olds, the use of a child safety seat is now required for children until the age of eight.4 Many parents found themselves scrambling to purchase booster seats for children who had long forgotten them before the new regulation went into effect. While some parents may have complained and some may not even have complied, the new law was met with seemingly little resistance. As a result, accidents may not have been prevented, but according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the use of a belt positioning booster seat reduces the chance of a child fatality by 54 percent.5

In creating safer transportation, one area that seems to have been ignored by legislators in Illinois is the issue of children riding on motorcycles. Currently the Illinois vehicle code remains silent regarding children as passengers on motorcycles. The code provides that all drivers and passengers must wear protective eyewear,6 the passenger must ride behind the driver,7 and the motorcycle must be equipped and designed to carry a passenger.8 However, Illinois remains one of only three states with no motorcycle helmet law in any form. 9 Currently the driver of a car with a six year old child wearing only a seat belt (without a safety seat) may be ticketed for this violation.10 However, there is no fine to deter a parent from putting the same child on the back of a motorcycle, without a helmet, and driving down any highway.

I didn't realize I live in one of 3 US states with no helmet law.

http://www.iihs.org/laws/HelmetUseCurrent.aspx

[rich_big]

I have in the past ridden in the back of a truck (when we say that we mean no shell, right?) and I probably wouldn’t do it now. Nor will I ride on the back of a motorcycle. No offence to our biker friends, but no way. I won’t even ride a motorcycle if I was driving.

I do not like seeing animals (domesticated) in the back of uncovered trucks. Last time going to Paulden, it was obvious a dog just fell out of a vehicle and was all over the freeway. Aunt Kady once got pulled over for *driving a convertible* with a dog in it, the cop wanted to be sure the dog was strapped to the seatbelt. She was.

[ragtopW]

many a mile.. many, many , Dad had a pipe rack..
and we lived to ride in the back..

[The Remittance Man]

I've only done it once, on 9/11/01. I worked in DC and lived in Virginia, and the bridge was closed to pedestrians but not to cars. So the first pickup that came by, I asked if I could hitch a ride in the back. I got out as soon as we were over the bridge. Both because of my terrible memories of that day and because it can be extremely dangerous to begin with, I would never do it again.

You do see it all the time here in Singapore. I guess it's one of the few things that are legal here but not in the US.